The Historic Davenport Hotel

The year 1914 was a big year in the United States. Baseball was forever changed as Babe Ruth began his record-breaking major league career, US politics was changed forever by the marriage of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, and the world was never to be the same as WWI loomed ahead and threatened to be the war to end ALL wars. But in Upper Left-hand Corner USA, Spokane, Washington was also moving up in the world with the opening of the opulent Davenport Hotel. In its heyday, The Davenport was a masterpiece of architecture, a benchmark of hospitality, and a front-runner for technology. And now over a century later, it is still just as spectacular and just as special and a MUST VISIT when traveling through Washington State.

As a History teacher and a vintage shop owner, entering The Historic Davenport Hotel is like the mother ship calling me home. I am like a kid in a candy store…holding a kitten…on Christmas morning. I have ALWAYS wanted to travel back in time and experience first hand the elegance of formal ballrooms, evenings at the opera, and Gatsby-like decadence. So this was perfect for me. I got to enjoy all of the grandeur, but I did not have to wear a corset or make ANY polite conversation. What more could a girl ask for??

There are so many aspects of The Davenport Hotel to fall in love with, but let me focus on my top 5 or else we will be here all week.

THE HISTORY:

Growing up in the PNW, it can often feel like there is very little history to be found. A building over 100 years old is a rarity and a BUSINESS over 100 years old is unheard of. The Space Needle is the most famous landmark of the State of Washington, and it was built in 1962!! But around every corner at The Historic Davenport is an interesting picture from the past, a sweet story of days gone by, or an artifact from a famous guest. It is so fun to walk through the halls and imagine Clark Gable leaning on the ornate banister (hopefully flirting with a Southern Belle…but hey it is MY fantasy right??), or Bob Hope entertaining a group of servicemen, or Bing Crosby crooning away in a ballroom filled with dancy couples. (Fun Fact: Bing Crosby lived in Spokane and his house now resides on the campus of Gonzaga University.) It is almost like the walls themselves are DYING to tell their story, and if you just listen CLOSE enough, you will hear the tap of dancing shoes or the clink of crystal.

THE ARCHITECTURE:

Do you remember the original Jurassic Park movie where John Hammond is showing people around and continually points out, “we spared no expense”? As I wandered through the gorgeous rooms at The Historic Davenport, I could imagine Louis Davenport showing me each chandelier and every carved doorway and declaring “we spared no expense you see”. EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL is exquisite from the glass ceiling in the mezzanine to the basement drinking fountain and EVERYTHING in between.

The entire building is a beauty, but the true masterpiece (and my personal favorite) is the Hall Of Doges. It was created to emulate an elegant Italian palace, and it is truly breathtaking with ornate scrollwork, a fresco ceiling, Gothic arches, and gorgeous chandeliers. During renovations, the entire room was actually lifted out by crane, moved, stored, and then eventually lowered into its new location. It actually hurts my soul a little when I think of how close the building was to being bulldozed in the 1980s AND how many similar historic buildings have been demolished to make room for something shiny and new. Shiny and new is great for cars and shoes, but I will take my buildings old and mysterious ANY day of the week!!

THE LOCATION:

Located right in downtown Spokane, The Davenport could not be more convenient to restaurants, shopping, Riverfront Park, and the beautiful Spokane River. There is so much to do and see…and all within walking distance. On top of our MUST STOP list is always Riverfront Park. As the site of the 1974 World’s Fair, the park is a great place to stop when traveling with kids. Our kids had a great time riding the historic carousel, walking along the boardwalk, playing in the fountains, renting motorized scooters, riding the sky ride over Spokane Falls, taking a trip down the iconic Radio Flyer slide, and of course feeding a little trash to the garbage goat.

THE SERVICE:

Entering the Davenport is like taking a step back in time…to an era where white-glove service is the standard, and the customer is KING. Every SINGLE person we encountered was enormously helpful, SUPER polite, and quick to fulfill our every need. At one point Ethan hit the maid button (because he had no idea such a thing existed or that an ACTUAL human would show up at the push of a button), and the maid arrived ALMOST immediately. I have NO idea how that maid arrived so quickly, but I DO know she was there in a snap and ready and willing to help.

A few of my favorite little extras available at The Davenport are the cutest flower and candy shop, an onsite spa, amazing valet service, the most helpful front desk staff I have EVER met, and amazing home decor shops with Davenport style housewares. You can even buy the famous DAVENPORT bed right there onsite. I simply love that EVERY detail is taken care of for you. They even provide water, healthy snacks, and earbuds in the workout room (no, of course, I did not work out on vacation…I ate room service and peanut brittle samples from the candy shop like a normal person).

THE EXPERIENCE:

Our family has really been focusing on collecting MORE memories and LESS stuff over the last year. Spokane is only a few hours away from our home, but by staying in such a special location, our kids had an amazing stay-cation experience. We got out of our hotel rut of checking in, swimming, watching T.V., hitting the ice-machine, and going to bed. Instead, we wandered through exquisite ballrooms, investigated empty staircases, learned about the history of our state, lounged around in fluffy bathrobes (seriously my kids FAVORITE part), ordered room service, searched for secret carvings on the second floor (we succeeded btw), and snuggled in the COMFIEST hotel beds EVER!!! The kids loved looking at the historic pictures in the hallways and picking out people who looked like they were having fun (or those who looked like they had NEVER had fun).

We definitely collected some great memories in our short visit to Downtown Spokane and cannot wait to return. I honestly got a little choked up when it was time to check out and leave, but then I remembered that The Davenport has been around for over 100 years. It will still be there, and STILL be spectacular, next Summer when we are ready to make some more family stay-cation memories.